Contentment Blues

How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands.  Psalm 112:1

Happiness is a fleeting emotion that is based on our circumstances, while joyfulness is much deeper and comes from the assurance of knowing that God loves us.  For example, I updated my iPhone to the new iOS7; I was very happy about that.  Now I am realizing that I am having to re-learn some of the basics on the iPhone and am a little annoyed. 

We need to remember that there is no passage of scripture where we are promised happiness in God’s Word.  However, God promises us something far greater-joy.  If you trust Him, and you know that the God of the universe loves you, and wants to have a relationship with you, and He has promised an eternal future for you, then you can be joyful too.

This kind of joy is not temporary and fleeting and runs much deeper than happiness, because it’s not based on your circumstances. How is your life characterized?  Is it by joy or happiness?

Joy

The joy of the Lord is your strength!  Nehemiah 8:10

For the longest time, I wouldn't dare enter the doors of a church because I mistakenly thought that church-going folks didn't know how to enjoy themselves and live life.  Boy, I couldn't have been any more wrong!  Sure, there are some Christians that meticulously attempt to live their lives without sin (it’s impossible, by the way), and in many cases, with that comes the judgment of others and self-righteousness, but God created each of us to enjoy our time here on this earth.

Happiness is based on performance or on your set of circumstances.  Joy is what springs from God’s love; performance and circumstances don’t mean a thing.  When you realize how great God’s love is for you, you become less vulnerable to depression and despair over disappointments and problems.

The more you seek Him, find Him, love Him, and know Him, the more you become like Him, and the greater your joy will be.  You will find perfect and lasting joy in heaven, but you can experience joy right here and right now by walking with the Lord.

Love and Happiness

..we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set out for him He endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2)

 

 

Think for a moment about the things that make you happy....for many it would be your family, friends, a vacation, a concert/music, food, sports; the list could go on and on.  All of these items are good and noble, but they are only temporary and will only produce temporary happiness.

 

 

Joy is completely different than happiness.  In the Biblical context, joy is not a fleeting emotion.  Joy is much deeper and actually an overall attitude or state of being rather than a feeling. Joy lasts, while happiness is circumstantial and does not last.  Simply put, joy is only found in God and He gives it to all of His faithful followers through the Holy Spirit.  The enemy will stop at nothing to rob you of your joy, and one of his favorite deceptions is to tempt us with something that will only produce temporary happiness in the hopes that we will turn away from our loving Father.

 

 

There is a big difference between joy and happiness; hold on to your joy and live in the love, freedom, and peace that only Jesus can offer us!